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Shakshook for the weekend?

Author: Sarah-Louise

Meet, shakshuka. Or, as it’ll be known here, shakshook. It’s a spicy, oniony, tomatoey, baked-eggy dish of dreams that originally hails from Turkey and is a breakie fave in Israel.

I first had it in New Yoik and now it’s starting to pop up on breakfast menus over here (though not on as many as I’d like). I recently had it at Nati’s on Priory in Crouch End, third pic on right, below. It’s a real international affair.

Anyway, the weekend is the best time to get acquainted or re-acquainted with it. As this baby, while easy to knock up, is best prepped sloooooooooow and with lots of TLC. And with crusty sourdough. And endless coffee. Or Mimosas.

3. Heat your olive oil over a moderate heat in a saucepan then add the peppers and onion.

4. Cook gently for 20-30 mins until they start to get all nice and mushy

5. Add your garlic and cook gently for another couple of mins

6. Add your cumin, paprika and a sprinkle of cayenne and cook for another min

7. Chuck in your toms, seasoning with your salt and pep as you go, and cook for another 10 to 15 mins

8. As soon as your toms start to look all thick and slushy, crumble in your salty feta

9. Now the tricky bit, for me anyway: make sort-of hollows in your toms, then crack in your eggs

10. Season again

11. Now pop your pan into your nice hot oven. Depending on how runny you like your eggs, you can leave your wondrous concoction in there from 7 to 15 minutes. Just keep an eye on it and judgez for yourself

12. Relieve your pan from the oven. Sprinkle with something green like coriander, if you like it. Eurgh. Devil’s food. I didn’t.

13. Serve with warmed-through slices of sourdough and if you fancy giving your shakshook an extra kick, sprinkle it with tabasco

14. Consume with mugs of coffee, glasses of cool water and/or Mimosas – a simple-yet-super mix of Prosecco and OJ (Mimosa! Mimosa!)